Bharat Ratna

Infobox Indian Awards
awardname = Bharat Ratna


type = Civilian
category = General
instituted = 1954
lastawarded = 2001
total = 40
awardedby = Government of India
cashaward =
description = An image of the Sun along with the words "Bharat Ratna", inscribed in Devanagari script, on a peepul leaf
previousnames =
obverse =
reverse =
ribbon =
firstawardees = Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
lastawardees = Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar
precededby = None
followedby = Padma Vibhushan

"Bharat Ratna" (translates to "Jewel of India" [cite book |last= Mahajan|first=Vidya Dhar |title= The Constitution of India|year= 1971 |publisher= Eastern Book Company|location=Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh|isbn= | pages=p169] or "Gem of India" [cite book |last= Hoiberg|first=Dale|coauthors=Indu Ramchandani|title= Students' Britannica India|year= 2000 |publisher= Encyclopedia Britannica (India)|location=New Delhi|isbn=0-85229-760-2 | pages=Vol. 3, p198] in English) is India's highest civilian award, awarded for the highest degrees of national service. This service includes artistic, literary, and scientific achievements, as well as "recognition of public service of the highest order." [cite book |last= Pylee|first=Moolamattom Varkey |title= The Constitution of India|year= 1971 |publisher= S. Chand & Company Ltd. |location=New Delhi|isbn=81-219-2203-8 | pages=p114] Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna carry no special title nor any other honorifics, but they do have a place in the Indian order of precedence. The award was established by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad, on January 2, 1954. [cite book |last=Dhawan|first= S. K.|title= Bharat Ratnas, 1954-1991|year= 1991 |publisher= Wave Publications|location=|asin=B0006EYROK | pages=p9] Along with other major national honours, such as the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the awarding of the Bharat Ratna was suspended from July 13, 1977 to January 26, 1980. The honour has been awarded to forty persons, a list which includes two non-Indians and a naturalized Indian citizen. Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are the states with the most number of awardees (8 each). Originally, the specifications for the award called for a circular gold medal carrying the state emblem and motto, among other things. It is uncertain if a design in accordance with the original specifications was ever made. The actual award is designed in the shape of a peepul leaf and carries the Hindi-written words "Bharat Ratna" on the front. The reverse side of the medal carries the state emblem and motto. The award is attached to a two-inch long ribbon, and was designed to be worn around the recipient's neck.

History

The order was established by Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of India, on January 2, 1954. The original statutes of January 1954 did not make allowance for posthumous awards (and this perhaps explains why the decoration was never awarded to Mahatma Gandhi), though this provision was added in the January 1955 statute. Subsequently, there have been twelve posthumous awards, including the award to Subhash Chandra Bose in 1992, which was later withdrawn due to a legal technicality, the only case of an award being withdrawn. The award was briefly suspended from July 13, 1977 to January 26, 1980.

While there was no formal provision that recipients of the Bharat Ratna should be Indian citizens, this seems to have been the general assumption. There has been one award to a naturalized Indian citizen — Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa (1980); and two to non-Indians — Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) and Nelson Mandela (1990). The awarding of this honour though, has frequently been the subject of litigation questioning the constitutional basis of such.

Controversies

Award to Subhas Chandra Bose

Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1992. The award was later withdrawn due to a legal technicality. This is the only case of an award being withdrawn. It was withdrawn in response to a Supreme Court of India directive following a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Court against the “posthumous” nature of the award. The Award Committee could not give conclusive evidence of Bose’s death and thus it invalidated the “posthumous” award.

Award to Abul Kalam Azad

When the award was offered to freedom fighter and India's first Minister of Education, Abul Kalam Azad, he promptly declined it saying that it should not be given to those, who have been on selection committee [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2714615.cms Those who said no to top awards] The Times of India, 20 Jan 2008.] .

pecifications

The original specifications for the award called for a circular gold medal, 35 mm in diameter, with the sun and the Hindi legend "Bharat Ratna" above and a floral wreath below. The reverse was to carry the state emblem and motto. It was to be worn around the neck from a white ribbon. There is no indication that any specimens of this design were ever produced and one year later the design was altered.

Complete list of the Awardees

References

External links

* [http://india.gov.in/myindia/bharatratna_awards_list1.php Bharat Ratna awardees list]